If Only to Forget by Camryn Lynn Read Free Book Online

even when his feet touch the floor I can’t get my body to do anything other than stare out the window and smoke. It’s like I’m stuck on autopilot.
    Inhale.
    Exhale.
    Inhale…
    Riley’s hands run down my arms and I jump.
    The cigarette falls from my lips as a little yelp pops out of my mouth.
    “Hey,” he whispers, moving the hair off my shoulder, his lips brushing against my right ear. “You okay?”
    I shake my head but when my lips move, nothing comes out.
    Riley’s hands drop away and he steps forward. Every hair on my body stands up.
    “What the hell?” he whispers, sounding as shocked as I feel.
    He sees her. It’s clear by the way his eyebrows pull together.
    Riley’s back stiffens and he takes a step closer.
    For some reason that snaps me out of it, and I stumble back. Moving away from the window. Away from what I’ve just seen like that can somehow erase it from being true. But it can’t and my mind must know it, because I can’t take my eyes off her and that hideous floral dress.
    “It’s Patty,” I whisper.
    Riley shakes his head, but he doesn’t look away from the window. “It can’t be.”
    “It is,” I snap, turning. Pulling my shirt on. Searching the room for my shoes as my brain spins in circles.
    How the hell did she get out there?
    “Shit!” Riley yells so loudly I jump three feet off the ground.
    “Shut up!” I hiss, shoving my feet into my shoes. “What if they’re in the building?”
    “Shit.” This time, he whispers the word as he rushes across the room, gathering his clothes.
    We don’t talk as we get pull ourselves together. What can we say? That we’re fucked? It’s on both our minds because there’s no other way to look at the situation. Patty was locked inside the school with us, but for some reason she’s now outside. Covered in blood. A fucking zombie!
    Damn. I’m not sure I’m ready to die.
    I’m dressed before Riley, but all I can do is grab my baseball bat and stand by the door with my arms crossed. Trying to figure out what to do. I’m terrified of leaving this room. So scared my heart is pounding harder than a jack hammer and my pits are wet. But I don’t have a choice.
    “Thank God we decided to start fucking today,” I mutter, pulling my hair back with my free hand. Twisting it around until it’s out of my face.
    “What?” Riley snaps as he heads my way, his brown eyes vicious-looking. Like he’s ready to beat the shit out of someone—or something. Good, because he’s going to have to.
    “Nothing,” I say, gripping my bat.
    Riley looks toward my bat, then shakes his head. He holds out his hand. “Give me that.”
    My fingers tighten on the aluminum. “What? Why?” No way I heard him right.
    He rips the bat out of my hands and steps toward the door, pushing me back. “I’m a damn idiot who left my bat downstairs. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.”
    I start to protest but Riley puts his finger against his lips, then his hand moves to the doorknob and I can’t even force a sound out. Let alone a word. My shoulders tense as his fingers curl around the knob, and when he pulls the door open my heart jumps so high it almost chokes me. I hold my breath, straining to hear above the pounding of my heart. Are those moans in the distance? It’s hard to tell.
    “Anything?” I whisper.
    Riley leans closer as he nods. “I hear something.”
    We both pause, and less than five seconds later a moan breaks the silence.
    Fear shoots through my veins like an icy blast of wind. It wasn’t close, but it’s clearly in the building and staying here would be both stupid and a death sentence. But where do we go now?
    “What’s the plan?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
    “We’ve got to get out.”
    No shit, Sherlock.
    I swallow my sarcasm and clench my hands into fists. If only I had a bat too! “Okay…”
    “Just like we talked about, we’re making a break for that SUV. It was fucking stupid of us not to do it earlier.”
    I can’t